Michael O'Leary on the Dublin Airport Passenger Cap
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Pat Kenny Show. With Timber Living Log Cabins. Saturday and Sunday from 10am on Newstalk. Conversation that counts. Michael O'Leary is here. Michael, good morning and welcome. Good morning, Pat. Pleasure to be here. Once again, you are preoccupied by the activities of the DAA.
Or not, as the case may be. You know, we're more preoccupied by the failure of the government to do anything to lift the cap at Dublin Airport 18 months after the programme for government said they would lift it as soon as possible. I am mystified as to why a government with a 20-seat majority haven't passed the legislation within three months. It's now 18 months and we, the American Air and every else, are still waiting for this cap to be abolished. What are they telling you about the delay? Oh, it's very complicated. It's very difficult. You don't understand. The opposition parties are opposing it, to which we say, well, you have a 20 seat majority, get on with it. But it seems to be redolent of this government, you know, all talk and no delivery, no action.
Now, the extraordinary thing about this particular problem, if that's what it is, is that it was based on traffic management around the airport. And when that condition was first imposed, there was a difficulty. That difficulty has been eliminated by the M50, the M1 and all the rest.
What is Michael O'Leary's position on the Dublin Airport passenger cap and why is it controversial?
And you'd imagine when a condition for a planning evaporates, that the planning then should, the restriction should also evaporate. Well, this is even more bizarre.
Like, firstly, there was a concern about road traffic in 2007. So they decide, let's limit the traffic at the airport. Well, why don't you just fix the road traffic problems, which, to be fair, they have with the M1, the M50 and all of that. Then they gave planning permission for a second runway in 2015. The second runway takes capacity from 30 to about 60 million passengers a year. But, oh, we still have to comply with the 2007 road traffic planning restriction. Well, then why did you give permission for a second runway in 2015? We've already spent the money. We, the airlines, have paid for this second runway. Our passengers want to use it. And we cannot be held up by, you know, Fingal County Council dithering over a planning restriction that has long since been redundant.
At the same time, I mean, we have done reports out there and the noise level can be pretty atrocious. I know if you live beside a railway, you get used to the rail and you forget about it. But the episodic nature of air transport means that you can never really predict when the noise is going to happen. But
But I mean, the noise is not going to happen at night time. You know, when you're asleep in your bed with your windows closed, A, there's no flights at Dublin, you know, very few flights between midnight and 6 a.m. You know, we're not asking for much here. But the decibel level of an aircraft overhead St. Margaret's, Ballybottle or Ashburn is something of the order between 50 to 55 decibels. With the window closed, you don't hear it at all. But 55 decibels is safe.
My window is open. In this weather, Michael, I'm afraid.
Well, if you've any sense, you should close the windows in this weather because it's warmer outside than it is in.
Okay, but if the growth happens as you would predict it would happen, it would mean that pretty much the noise levels will increase and the frequency of those noises will increase. It has to happen going from 40 to 60.
I think that's inevitable, but that increase will take place on much quieter aircraft. But the engine for growth for this economy, that that growth would deliver over the next five or ten years, will be extraordinary. And we need to deliver that growth if we're going to invest in the infrastructure, the defence and whatever else this country needs. This is indigenous growth. It's not dependent on US multinationals.
Now, you put out a video during the week, which is critical of the DAA's grand plans, 5.6 billion going to be spent. That's the projected spend, including contingencies and all the rest of it.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–1:13
2
What is Michael O'Leary's position on the Dublin Airport passenger cap and why is it controversial?
1:13–3:57
3
How does O'Leary explain the original road-traffic reasons for the 2007 cap and why does he say they're obsolete?
3:57–6:05
4
Why does Ryanair argue the second runway and current planning rules conflict with the passenger cap?
6:05–12:45
5
What criticisms does O'Leary make of the DAA's €5.6bn expansion plan and cost assumptions?
12:45–20:07